Thill-coupling.



Patented May 29, I900.

ES. THILLI ou LING.

( pplication 8 No. 650,7". Patented May 29, I900.

R. ECCLES.

THILL COUPLING.

(Application filed m. 20, 1900. (No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Akin hh /N VENTOH and A UNEYS PATENT OFFICE.

RICHARD rooms, or AUBURN, NEW roan.

THlLL-COUPLING.

QPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent NO; 650,711, dated. May 29, 1900.

Application filed rch 20, 1900. Serial No- 9,405. (N0 model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, RICHARD licence, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Auburn, in the county of Cayuga and State of New York,- have invented a new and Improved Thill-Ooupling, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

The object of the invention is to provide a new and improved thill-coupling which is simple and durable in construction, arranged to prevent rattling, to permit of shifting or removing the shaft, to securely hold the slotted shaft-eye in place on the pivot pin or bolt, and to assist in supporting the shaft when in use and relieve the animal of undue strain caused by the weight of the shafts.

The invention consists of novel features and parts and combinations of the same, as will be fully described hereinafter and then pointed out in the claims.

A practical embodiment of the invention is represented in the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, in which similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the figures.

Figure 1 is a perspective view of the improvement. Fig. 2 is a sectional side elevation of the same with the thill-iron unlocked, and Fig. 3 is a similar view of the same with the thill-iron in position for removalfrom the pivot-pin.

On the axle A is secured the usual axle-clip B, having a tie-bar O and forwardly-projecting lugs or cars D, carrying a pivot-pin E for receiving the slotted eye F of the thill-iron F. The slot of the eye F extends downwardly and forwardly when the thill-iron is in a normal position -that is, when the shafts extend approximately horizontaland the animal is hitched thereto. Now when the thill-iron is in this position the rear segmen tal face of the eye fits close to the adjacent side of the clip, as plainly indicated in Fig. 2, so that the eye cannot move out of engagement with the pin E, owing to the oblique direction of the slot, and in order to allow the removal of the thill-iron from the pin E it is necessary that the shaft be swung downward-say until its forward end rests on the gronnd-to bring the slot of the eye F into an approximately-vertical position, as shown in Fig. 3, Thus the thill-iron is not liable to become accidentally disengaged from the pivot-pin E when the animal is hitched to the shafts and the thill-iron can only be removed or lifted out of engagement with the pivotpin when the shafts are in lowermost position and. disconnected from the harness of the animal. 0n the upper portion of the eye F is formed a rearwardly-extending lug F projecting somewhat beyond the pin E, and in the top of the projection F and near the rear end thereof is formed a recess F in which is seated the top cross-bar of alink G, extending, with its side bars, in a downward direction outside of the ears D, the lower or bottom crossbar of the link en gaging a handlever I-I, fulcrumed on the free end of a spring I, forming partof the tie-bar O, as shown in the drawings. On the handle 11 of the hand-lever H is formed a lug H adapted to rest against the under side of the spring I when the lever is in a closed position--that is, with the portion engaged by the link G at the rear of the fulcrum of the lever, as indicated in the drawings.

It will be seen that by the arrangement described the spring I exerts by the hand-lever H a downward pressure on the link G, so that the latter presses heavily on the projection F of the thill-iron eye F to prevent accidental displacement of the eye F from the pin E in whatever position the shafts may be and to assist in supporting the shafts whenin use, and thereby relieve the animal of undue strain caused by the weight of the shafts.

When it is desired to disconnect the shafts from the vehicle, it is simply necessary for the operator to take hold of the handle H and swing the same downward and forward to unlock'the link G and permit of disengaging the link from the projection F by swinging the link rearward to allow of removing the eye F of the thill-iron F from the pivot-pin E. In placing the shafts again in position on the ve hicle it is only necessary to engage the slotted eye F with the pin E, then hook the link G upon the projection F and then swing the lever H downward and rearward into a closed position, as shown in the drawings.

From the foregoing it is evident that the spring-pressed link G bears on the projection F with sufficient force to prevent rattling of the eye F on the pivot-pin E, and at the same time assists in holding the shafts up in proper position and to allow a quick shifting of the shafts, as above explained.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent 7 1. A thin-coupling, comprising a thill-iron having a slotted eye, a projection extending -rearwardly from the eye beyond the pivotpin thereof, and a spring-pressed link hooking over the said projection to hold the slotted eye on its pivot-pin, substantially as shown and described.

2. A thill-coupling, comprising a thill-iron having a slotted eye, a projection extending rearwardly from the eye, an axle-clip carrying'a pivot-pin for the said slotted eye, a link for engagement with said projection, and a hand-lever connected with said link and fulcrumed on a spring carried by said axle-clip, as set forth.

3. A thill-conpling, comprising a thill-iron having a slotted eye, a projection extending rearwardly from the eye, an axle-clip carrying. a pivot-pin for the said slotted eye, alink for engagement with said projection, and a hand-lever connected with said link and fulcrnmed on a spring forming part of the tiebar of the said axle-clip, substantially asshown and described.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

RICHARD ECCLES.

Witnesses:

SQUIRE P. CODNER, WILLIAM W. ECCLES. 

